On Top of the World

If you're a Boston sports fan, you're probably a front-runnin' phony.

Just kidding! But, you have to admit, it's been a pretty good run of late for the Boston teams. From the unbeaten Pats to the World Champion Sox to the rebuilt Celtics to the BC Eagles, he only team not winning in Boston seems to be Harvard.

And I don't think anyone even notices.

The Bruins, forgotten in Boston the past few years, are also back on their game, winning five of seven before invading Sunrise on Thursday.

Big weekend for the Beantowners too. The Celts visit Miami tomorrow night. And the Pats get a date with the Ravens, a team the Browns have beaten twice this year. Yeah, the beat goes on.

-- Craig Anderson in net tonight for the Panthers as expected.

-- Andy took a nasty shot from Zdeno Chara off his neck. Hit the ice, and stayed there for a few seconds. But, he's OK. Was even joking with trainer Curtis "Don't Call me Joey" Bell.

-- JM doesn't seem to like being asked about Cory Murphy, but says the team isn't hiding anything with the bruised shoulder. He seems flustered and doesn't like feeling powerless about his hockey team, but this Murphy injury is confounding. Murph the Surf has been out two weeks now, and JM says he doesn't have a clue when he's coming back.

When he's back, JM basically said, he's back.

-- Gotta like the spark Garth "Snow" Murray has shown. Two nights, two fights. Tonight he battles Jeremy "Fred" Reich.

-- Olesz in the box for tripping, AND...

BOSTON SCORES...CHARA ON THE POWER PLAY...SOX 1, MARLINS 0 MIDWAY THROUGH THE FIRST

-- Hopefully we'll see this at Joe Robbie after football season. The Giants have set up an ice rink at AT&T Park in San Francisco, and are letting the general public come in and skate around where Barry Bonds once tread.

He isn't the only one getting a new perspective on the field this holiday season. The Giants have installed a 60-foot by 120-foot rink atop the infield and opened it to the public. It's believed to be the first time a major league ballpark has doubled as a public ice rink. The Giants are charging adults $20 to skate, and kids get on the ice for $15.

The real reason for the rink, which will close Dec. 9, is to host the "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" Skating Spectacular on Dec. 5.

END OF ONE IN SUNRISE: BOSTON 1, PANTHERS 0

-- FYI: Saturday's morning skate is once again open to the public. Practice starts at 10:30; Pantherland opens at 10, and fans have to go through the store to get to the lower bowl to watch practice.

AND PANTHERS SCORE...STEVE MONTADOR BURIES LONG WRISTER OFF FEED FROM SALEI...STILL EARLY IN SECOND....BOS 2, FLA 1

-- OK, everyone knows I love the Dancing Banana. But the Dancing Nose? Come on. Bush league,more so than usual. It's time to start toning things down again. The ads are outrageous. You want a crowd to get into the game? Quit showing crappy Lexus ads that are repeated over and over on local TV down here as it is. No other team in the league puts on an ad-filled production as this one. It just gets worse and worse.

-- Back to the game. Panthers have had a bunch of scoring chances, Zednik, Olli and Booth all with solid shots.

-- Panthers on the power play...

-- OK, were..Booth to the box for slashing...even for 58 seconds, Bos on PP for 1:02...

CHARA GETS ANOTHER...POWER PLAY GOAL FROM TOP OF THE SLOT...BOS 3, FLA 1....3:36 LEFT